Robinsons Galleria

For other Robinsons Galleria malls, see Robinsons Galleria Cebu and Robinsons Galleria South.

Robinsons Galleria
Robinsons Galleria in 2022
LocationUgong Norte, Quezon City
Coordinates14°35′27″N 121°3′34″E / 14.59083°N 121.05944°E / 14.59083; 121.05944
AddressEDSA (C-4) corner Ortigas Avenue, Ortigas Center
Opening dateJanuary 12, 1990 (1990-01-12)
DeveloperRobinsons Land
ManagementRobinsons Malls
OwnerJohn Gokongwei
Stores and servicesOver 500 shops and restaurants
Anchor tenants10
Floor area221,000 m2 (2,380,000 ft2)
Floors5
Parking1000 cars
Public transit 3 Ortigas
 E  Ortigas
 2  Robinsons Galleria
Websiterobinsonsmalls.com/mall-info/robinsons-galleria-ortigas

Robinsons Galleria (also known as Robinsons Galleria Ortigas) is a mixed-use complex and shopping mall located at EDSA (C-4) corner Ortigas Avenue in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the flagship mall of Robinsons Malls[1] and is the first to bear the Galleria branding. It was opened on January 12, 1990, with a total gross floor area of approximately 221,000 square meters (2,380,000 ft2).

The mall

Robinsons Galleria is a 5-level shopping mall and a landmark along EDSA and Ortigas Avenue, with more than 400 shops, dining outlets, entertainment facilities, and service centers.[1][2] It is located within a mixed-use complex comprising two high-rise office towers: the Galleria Corporate Center and Robinsons Equitable Tower, two hotels: the Holiday Inn & Suites Manila Galleria, the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, and one serviced apartment: the Galleria Regency, which is located within the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria.

One of the major mall tenants is the central passport office of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Metro Manila called DFA Consular Office NCR-Central, located on the first floor of the Lingkod Pinoy Center and inaugurated in September 2012.[3]

History

The mall's location was once open land owned by the SSS in the Ortigas Central Business District (now Ortigas Center).[4] In February 1986, the portion of the land facing EDSA was where participants in the People Power Revolution also protested; tanks going north to Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame were stopped at this spot.[5] In 1987, John Gokongwei bought a large portion of the land from the SSS, while the Archdiocese of Manila had partly purchased the portion of the land near the intersection. This plot today is the site of EDSA Shrine, which belongs to the Archdiocese up to date.

Construction began in mid-1988 and finished in late 1989. The mall opened in 1990, being the first mall of Robinsons Malls.[6] Since its opening, several renovations have been made to the mall, expanding its area to 216,000 square meters.[4]

Incidents

  • On March 29, 2012, one security guard was killed and six others wounded after two armed robbers lobbed a couple of grenades while fleeing with their loot. The Philippine National Police spokesman, Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr., said that by 10:15 a.m. PHT, two unidentified suspects in disguise as guards attacked two bank guards who were escorting bank tellers and were supposed to deliver an undetermined amount of money in a money changer shop at the mall's ground floor.[7][8][9]
  • On October 29, 2013, a fire broke out inside the department store's toy section at around 11:00 p.m., when the employees, decorating Christmas lights inside the mall, rushed outside to flee the premises. Guests from the Holiday Inn evacuated and moved to the adjacent Crowne Plaza Hotel. The fire raged for about six hours and was under control the following morning, and the mall was closed until noon on November 1, 2013.[10][11][12]

Redevelopment

The mall has undergone several renovations since it opened in 1990. In 2012, the mall took its major facelift with an additional GLA of around 100,000 square meters that can cater to at least 50 tenants.[2] The said developments expanded the mall's GLA to 216,000 square meters.[4]

The latest redevelopment started in 2016.[13] and will be done in 2 phases. The first renovation phase was from May to October 2016, while the second phase was to begin in May 2017. Aside from major renovations within the mall, the mall veranda will host more service stores related to health and beauty. There will be an upper veranda on the 3rd floor, formerly occupying the sports loop, that will accommodate more dining choices. The mall's renovation is almost complete.

The mall's renovation added wooden elements, a design similar to Robinsons Galleria Cebu.

The mall, being at the corner of two busy thoroughfares, is considered a major transport hub for commuters going between Metro Manila and Rizal, with five distinct public transport terminals serving jeepney routes, bus routes, UV Express routes, and Premium Point-to-Point (P2P) bus routes.[14]

  • Carpark Annex Terminal: Near the EDSA Shrine and along EDSA. Serves UV Express routes to and from Pasig and Cainta.
  • EDSA Terminal: Near the EDSA Shrine and along EDSA. Serves P2P bus routes to and from Makati and Alabang and the UBE Express P2P Bus to Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
  • Ortigas Terminal: Along Ortigas Avenue. Serves P2P bus routes to and from Lipa and Batangas City, as well as jeepney routes to and from San Juan and Quezon City and bus routes to and from San Juan, Quezon City, Taytay, Angono, and Quiapo.
  • Veranda Terminal: Near Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria and along Ortigas Avenue. Serves UV Express routes to and from Pasig proper, Marikina proper, Concepcion, Antipolo, Angono, Binangonan, and Cardona.
  • ADB Terminal: Near Holiday Inn and along ADB Avenue. Serves UV Express routes around the Ortigas Center.

The mall is also near Ortigas station of the MRT Line 3 and the Ortigas stop of the EDSA Carousel, which both run along EDSA. The future EDSA station of the MRT Line 4 will be located near the intersection of EDSA and Ortigas within the mall's vicinity.

In the 1990s, an urban legend circulated claiming that a half-snake, half-human creature lived in the basement of the mall. The story alleged that the creature was the twin sibling of Robina Gokongwei (then-president and COO of Robinsons Retail), and that it watched potential victims from the fitting rooms of the mall's department store. According to the rumor, the creature would abduct selected women and was kept by the Gokongwei family as a supposed lucky charm. Among its supposed victims were actresses Alice Dixson and Rita Avila. Although the rumor is widely regarded as an urban myth, it gained Internet popularity in 2010 after a YouTube video claiming to depict the creature had circulated online.[15]

In 2008, Gokongwei denied the legend as fake and asserted that the tale emerged from the "market competition". One of the alleged victims, Dixson, also dismissed the entire narrative as fake. In 2018, she would later appear in a Robinsons Galleria video advertisement lampooning the urban legend[16][17] and in 2020, made a YouTube video wishing to put the rumors to rest.[18]

In January 2025, ahead of Chinese New Year (during the Year of the Snake), Gokongwei poked fun at an urban legend in a Facebook post featuring herself posing with snake decorations at a Robinsons mall.[19][20] In March 2026, Gokongwei made an appearance at the Robinsons Trade Partners Night with a Medusa-inspired headdress.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b Malls, Robinsons Malls Robinsons. "Mall Info | Robinsons Malls". Robinsons Malls. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Peña, Zinnia B. Dela. "Robinsons Galleria Mall undertakes major facelift". philstar.com. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  3. ^ DFA (September 19, 2012). "DFA opens new consular office at Robinsons Galleria". Official Gazette (Philippines). Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Admin. "The Philippines' Top 10 biggest shopping malls". The Summit Express. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  5. ^ Galang, Vincent Mariel p (July 18, 2019). "Robinsons Land Opens Galleria Mall in Laguna". bworldonline.com. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  6. ^ "Robinsons Land Corporation | Official Website". www.robinsonsproperties.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  7. ^ Mangosing, Frances; Elona, Jamie Marie (March 29, 2012). "1 dead, 6 wounded in Robinsons Galleria robbery". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  8. ^ "Robinsons Galleria press statement on the robbery incident". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  9. ^ "One killed, 6 hurt in Robinsons Galleria robbery". Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  10. ^ "Fire-hit Robinsons Galleria closed for 2 days". philstar.com.
  11. ^ "Fire hits Robinsons Galleria mall in Ortigas—MMDA". newsinfo.inquirer.net. October 29, 2013.
  12. ^ "Fire hits Robinsons Galleria". Rappler. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  13. ^ "ORTIGAS CENTER | Robinsons Galleria Redevelopment [com]". Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  14. ^ "Robinsons Galleria Transport Terminal Locations". Robinsons Galleria. May 13, 2024 – via Facebook.
  15. ^ Bolando, AJ (October 29, 2013). "5 'creepiest, scariest' places in Metro Manila". PhilStar.com. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  16. ^ "In time for Halloween, Alice Dixson makes light of urban 'snake' legend in ad". ABS-CBN News. October 31, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  17. ^ Tapnio, Kevyn (October 31, 2018). "Alice Dixson Finally Meets the Famed Robinsons Galleria Snake in This New Video". SPOT.ph.
  18. ^ "Was 'snake man' real or not? Alice Dixson finally puts reptilian rumors to rest". ABS-CBN News. July 25, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  19. ^ Tunac, Hermes Joy (January 27, 2025). "Ahead of the Year of the Snake, Robina Gokongwei-Pe pokes fun with photo of her 'twin'". GMA News Online. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  20. ^ Uson, Melanie (January 27, 2025). "LOOK: Robina Gokongwei-Pe's 'twin' snake makes appearance in Robinson's ahead of Lunar New Year". Philstar Life. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  21. ^ Licsi, Ayie (March 8, 2026). "LOOK: Robina Gokongwei-Pe dons Medusa-inspired headgear". Philstar Life. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
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